Medical cannabis use differs vastly from recreational use. Patient needs are highly individual and require personalized care and guidance. (Submitted photo/A. Muscari of Hybrid Pharm)

By Jennifer Olson

medical cannabis

Hybrid Pharm seeks to dispel cannabis myths and personalize care

Feb 20, 2024 | 9:50 PM

Anecdotal opinions continue to haunt the medical cannabis industry. Finding credible information and professional guidance remains a challenge, despite medical cannabis having been legal since 2001.

Furthermore, accessing therapeutic-grade products can be difficult and daunting.

Hybrid Pharm is an Ottawa-based company that fuses conventional pharmacy and compounding services with medical cannabis access and consultations, raising the standard of post-legalization cannabis care and education. The pharmacy-dispensary hybrid specializes in cannabis education, professional consultations and access to therapeutic-grade products.

Hybrid Pharm has a unique license in that they can bypass the Ontario Cannabis Store and can purchase products directly from licensed producers, ensuring fresher, more affordable products for patients.

Co-founder Angelo Muscari described some issues faced by patients seeking prescriptions and products online.

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“If we were to pick up the phone or computer right now, we could have a [cannabis] prescription in our hands within the next 24 hours,” explained Muscari.

“That’s where the oversight basically ends with most clinics or so-called medical cannabis companies. Accessing a prescription is easy. Guidance on how much to take  and when to take it while coinciding with your current medications doesn’t exist in most other medical cannabis clinics. We’ve been able to answer questions that not a single person on the recreational side can, on a legal or on a personal basis.”

Medical cannabis use differs vastly from recreational use. Patient needs are highly individual and require personalized care and guidance.

“I also manage a recreational dispensary. At least four times a day, I get asked medical cannabis questions in a recreational setting,” shared Muscari.

“That’s where Hybrid Pharm is trying to change the focus. There needs to be a clear line because the recreational approach and the medical approach to cannabis is very different. The first thing we ask people who come into the pharmacy is ‘What is your intention with cannabis?’, and from there, the conversation can really be expanded.”

Hybrid Pharm takes medical cannabis education to the next level by providing public seminars for various organizations such as Epilepsy Ontario, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and the Ottawa Herb Society.

There are problems surrounding cannabis education within the industry itself. Many so-called remedies are based on anecdotal experiences.

“I come from a legacy cannabis background. This will be my 30th year in cannabis. I think the biggest problem with the cannabis industry is the people in it,” Muscari stated.

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